


Just Out of Reach

by lbk_princen



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-23 23:38:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13201020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lbk_princen/pseuds/lbk_princen
Summary: Gracia is a lucky woman.//tiny oneshot about Roy dealing with the fact that he loves his best friend because i love suffering! especially Roy's suffering!





	Just Out of Reach

“Lieutenant Colonel Hughes on the line for you, sir.”

Mustang looked up and let out a sigh. _What does that oaf want now,_ he thought, but his inner voice was tinged with that warmth he associated with Maes Hughes. He picked up the receiver on his desk and leaned back in his chair.

“What do you want, Hughes? I’m working.”

_“Hey Roy! You say that like you would rather be working than listening to my beautiful voice.”_

Mustang cracked a smile. “Well, I’d be lying if I said that were true.”

Hughes’ laugh was muffled by phone static and Mustang’s chest ached, a little. Ever since he had been stationed in East City, his contact with Hughes had been erratic. It was nice to hear the sound of his best friend’s laugh, though it would have been nicer to hear it in person.

_“So, how’s life treatin’ you over there? Meet any cute girls?”_ There was an implicit eyebrow waggle at the end of his question.

Mustang turned his chair to face out the window. The less his subordinates could see his face during this conversation, the better. “Ah, you know,” he stalled. “It’s alright. There are a lot of pretty women here, but you know I’d rather be in Central. Speaking of, how are things there?”

_“Same-old-same-old, pretty much. There’s been some commotion over some State Alchemist guy, but it’s not in my interest or purview to know much about that sort of thing.”_

Mustang hummed. “Is it that guy who made a talking chimera?”

_“Yeah, something like that. I keep out of anything to do with alchemy. Shit is way over my head.”_

“I know, Hughes,” Mustang said with a faint smile. Maes proclaimed to be a ‘simple man’ and cited this for his disinterest in alchemy. Mustang thought it was part of his appeal. Hughes didn’t like things that were complicated; it made him efficient as a soldier, and reliable as a friend.

“You should come visit, when you get a chance,” Mustang said, trying to be casual.

He remembered the last time he and Maes were face-to-face, when Maes saw him off on the train east. They had saluted each other, and Roy had felt a tingling sensation in his gut as he looked into Maes’ eyes. They were the eyes of a killer, yes (as were his own) but they also held a kind of softness that was hard to describe. Hughes was indeed a simple man: simple in his bravery, and in his kindness. Mustang remembered looking at the stubble of facial hair on Hughes’ chin. It reminded him of the haggard days of Ishval. But when he looked back up at Hughes’ eyes, he was reminded that those dark days were behind them, and there were things worth walking towards.

Then the whistle on the train had blown, and Gracia gave Roy a quick hug before stepping back beside Maes. Roy remembered how they interlaced their fingers as they waved to him, and the ripple of… something, washed over him. Sadness? Jealousy?

Gracia was a lucky woman.

Back in Mustang’s office, the phone crackled heavily as Maes exhaled in thought. _“Hmm… I suppose I could use a vacation. I don’t know how I feel about Gracia traveling right now though.”_

Mustang closed his eyes. “Ah, right. How far along is she now? Three months? Four months?”

_“Five, actually!”_ Already Roy could hear the pride swelling in Hughes’ voice. _“The doc says the baby is healthy and Gracia is doing marvelously! He actually said the word ‘marvelously’, that’s not me exaggerating!”_

The warmth in Roy’s chest was now accompanied by a heavy feeling that he also associated with Maes. He forced a smile onto his face. “Well that’s great news! Give her a kiss for me.”

_“Oh, you bet I will. AUGH I’m just so excited! I’m gonna be a dad, Roy!”_

“I know, Hughes. You’re going to spoil that kid rotten, aren't you.”

_“Obviously! Only the best for my darling Gracia and our precious little bundle of joy! Speaking of, Gracia and I were talking about names. If it’s a girl, we’re going with Elicia, after Gracia’s aunt, but I suggested that if it’s a boy we name him after you.”_

For a moment Roy was too stunned to speak. Maes would really do that?

“After me?” he managed to choke out. “Why?”

There was silence on the phone for a few seconds.

_“Well, ‘cause you’re my best friend, of course.”_

Roy felt his throat close up. He pressed his eyes shut and leaned his head back against the back of his chair.

_“You stuck by me in Ishval, and I admire your ambition. Truly, Roy. I would be proud for my son to share a name with a man like you.”_

There was a minute where Mustang couldn’t find the words to respond.

_“Roy?”_

“Thank you, Hughes. I- um.” He pressed the receiver closer to his mouth and lowered his voice. “I... I admire you as well. Ahem. Now. I have work to get back to.”

_“Yes sir,”_ Hughes replied, but there was a smile in his voice.

Without thinking, Mustang promptly turned around and hung up. He let out a breath, and realized that his hands were sweating. He’d said he had work to do, but when he looked down at his papers, the words turned to mush in his head. So, he got up from his desk and said, “I’m taking a walk.”


End file.
